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WORLD NEWS
Japan Airlines files for bankruptcy protection
BA and Iberia agree merger deal
Do dead bodies in Haiti pose a health risk?
Amusing
Stories
Neanderthal 'make-up' discovered:
Japan Airlines (JAL), Asia's biggest air carrier, has filed for bankruptcy protection, in one of the country's biggest corporate failures. Some 15,600 jobs are expected to be cut. All board members have also voted to resign, according to Japanese media. A state-backed turnaround organisation has said it plans to inject about 300bn yen ($3.3bn; £2bn) into JAL. Japan's government says flights will continue as normal as the airline begins restructuring. Its reorganisation will take place under the supervision of the state-backed Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation (ETIC). As well as reducing its headcount, JAL will have to replace some of the older, less fuel-efficient planes in its fleet and reduce the number of routes it flies. JAL will also receive a 600bn-yen credit line and get 730bn yen in debt waivers. Shares in JAL have fallen to an all-time low, valuing the firm at just $150m - less than the price of a new jumbo jet. The Tokyo Stock Exchange said shares in the carrier would be delisted on 20 February. Along with other major global airlines, JAL has been hit hard by falling passenger numbers during the global economic downturn. The carrier has debts of $25.6bn. "Basically this shows that nothing is too big to fail, that America's GM and Japan's JAL were in the same situation," said Koichi Ogawa from Daiwa SB Investments. "What this has shown is that the nation won't just take total care of a company, that they've now said they'll let badly-run companies fail." A third of JAL's workforce face the prospect of losing their jobs, the BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says. While the turnaround plan backed by the government will see the airline continue to fly, investors in the company are likely to lose most of their money. But JAL's competitors would only see a limited impact from its bankruptcy filing, Kazuyuki Terao, chief investment officer at RCM Japan, said. "If consumers shift to other carriers, it might have a positive impact but it is also not likely because for consumers, utility is important - which will not change after bankruptcy." Meanwhile, US carrier Delta Air Lines has issued a statement of support for JAL. Delta wants JAL to leave the OneWorld Alliance and join its SkyTeam partnership. "Delta and SkyTeam fully support Japan Airlines and stand ready to provide assistance and support in any way possible. Delta fully expects that JAL, with the support of ETIC, will be successful in its restructuring and return the airline to a position of prominence."
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BA and Iberia agree merger deal:
British Airways and Spanish airline Iberia say they have reached a preliminary agreement for a merger expected to be completed in late 2010. The merger, which must be approved by the European Commission, would create the world's third biggest airline. Under its terms, Iberia would take a 45% stake and BA, which last week reported a six-month pre-tax loss of £292m, a 55% stake in the company. Iberia says it can pull out if BA fails to resolve its pension deficit problem. "The merger will create a strong European airline well able to compete in the 21st Century," said BA chief executive Willie Walsh. "Both airlines will retain their brands and heritage while achieving significant synergies as a combined force." The two airlines had been discussing the deal at separate board meetings. It would create an airline with 419 aircraft flying to 205 separate destinations, and would save the two partners 400m euros ($594m; £358m) in costs a year, they said. Iberia's chairman Antonio Vazquez would take the same role at the new company, while Mr Walsh would become its chief executive. News of the deal did not go down well with Virgin Atlantic, one of BA's big competitors in the UK, which raised concerns about the new company's market share. "The merger will increase BA's dominance at Heathrow with 44% of take-off and landing slots this winter. It is impossible for any other airline to replicate their scale," the airline said. Both BA and Iberia have been losing money during the downturn as businesses and individuals cut back on flying. Mr Walsh has previously said a merger would help both firms cope with the recession. The firms have considered a tie-up for a number of years and held talks on the issue in July 2008. BA already owns 13.5% of Iberia and the two carriers have a code-sharing agreement under the One World grouping of airlines, which allows them to sell seats on each other's services. If a merger is formalised, it would still require regulatory approval from the European Commission. However, analysts say a deal is likely to be cleared, pointing to Air France's successful merger with Dutch airline KLM in 2004. The agreement comes a week after BA said it would cut a further 1,200 jobs, as it reported a first-half loss for the first time. It made a pre-tax loss of £292m in the six months to the end of September. The half-year results also revealed a growing problem with its two final-salary pension schemes. In the past six months, the surplus in one scheme fell from £860m to £27m, while the deficit in the other scheme ballooned from £1.2bn to £2.7bn. Iberia's most recent results showed that it made a loss of 72.8m euros between April and June. Both airlines are also negotiating with staff over strike action. BA cabin crew are being balloted on whether to take action over the company's cost-cutting plans, while Iberia staff have already gone on strike over pay, and plan more disruptions in the run-up to Christmas.
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Do dead bodies in Haiti pose a health risk?:
In earthquake-hit Haiti, the dead are being hastily buried in mass graves, amid fears their bodies spread disease. But is that true? On the streets of Haiti, the living face a desperate struggle, for food, water, medicine and shelter. But the dead present a problem of their own. Estimates of the number killed in last Tuesday's earthquake vary from 50,000 to at least 200,000. Dead bodies are being left by roadsides, trapped under rubble, or cleared into pits. The underlying fear is that the bodies could spread disease and infection. But is that assumption correct? "There is this myth that bodies have to be disposed of incredibly quickly, which often leads to bodies being shoved into pits without any form of identification," Sir Nicholas Young, British Red Cross chief executive and a trustee of the main fundraising group, the Disasters Emergency Committee, told the BBC. "[This makes it] impossible for the relatives to grieve. Impossible to know how many people died and impossible for people to identify their relatives. This is a terrible shame. "The risk is absolutely minimal, unless there is disease in the population. This is a mistake and a waste of resources." The charity has its own guidelines on cadaver management for disaster zones and signs up to 2009 advice from the Pan American branch of the World Health Organisations - Management of Dead Bodies After Disasters: A Field Manual for First Responders. The guide was compiled after numerous disasters - the 2004 Asian Tsunami, Haiti's 2004 floods, Hurricanes Katrina and Stan and the Northern Pakistan and Indian earthquakes - highlighted an absence of advice on what to do and why. It came after research by Oliver Morgan, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, that found dead bodies in natural disasters do not pose a public health threat. Caustic chemicals The guide sets out how ordinary people helping on the ground can manage the recovery, identification, storage and disposal of the dead. And how to help families come to terms with it. If necessary, temporary burial is recommended, but the caustic chemicals used to try to "disinfect" bodies are not - they have no effect and make identification harder. Indeed, the guide says it is the "surviving population" that is "much more likely" to be a source of infection than the dead. But care does need to be taken in handling dead bodies, says Dr Egbert Sondorp, senior lecturer in public health and humanitarian aid at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "At the time of their death, people are likely to be healthy. You need to take care in handling them, precautions, as you don't know. But they are not in themselves a risk." Those clearing dead bodies have to take basic safeguards like wearing gloves and hand-washing. These help protect against a range of diseases which can linger in the dead for two days - tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and C, diarrhoeal diseases. And HIV, which can last for six. There are also risks in drinking water contaminated with faeces from the living and the dead. So why are people buried so quickly, if the official guidance suggests they should not be? One reason is the smell, says Dr Sondorp. "A body which is decaying smells. In most communities you try to get that away, as psychologically it's awful to have them around. You want to stop dogs [and vermin] eating them, as that too is psychologically awful." Also, there has been no-one on the ground in Haiti to say otherwise. Governmental and non-governmental organisation has been absent. Tradition also plays a part - religions including Islam and Judaism like to see their dead buried within 24 hours. The deep-seated fear of disease emanating from dead bodies could also stem from epidemics of the past, where people died in their droves from cholera. But earthquakes, floods and fires involve deaths from drowning, injury and burns, not disease. Despite the human instinct to get rid of the bodies quickly, a more considered approach can have long-term benefits for the mental health of the bereaved, says Ute Hofmeister, forensic adviser at the International Committee of the Red Cross. "In all disasters, that's the human instinct, because the bodies start to smell really bad, look bad and it's not very dignified having them hanging around in the street. "But experience shows for people, even in natural disasters, it's important to know what's happened to their dead. It helps them very much to know where they're buried." There are also practical implications. Correct identification of the dead has legal significance for inheritance and insurance that can affect families for many years.
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Japan Airlines files for bankruptcy protection
Japan Airlines (JAL), Asia's biggest air carrier, has filed for bankruptcy protection, in one of the country's biggest corporate failures.
Some 15,600 jobs are expected to be cut. All board members have also voted to resign, according to Japanese media.
A state-backed turnaround organisation has said it plans to inject about 300bn yen ($3.3bn; £2bn) into JAL.
Japan's government says flights will continue as normal as the airline begins restructuring.
Its reorganisation will take place under the supervision of the state-backed Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation (ETIC).
As well as reducing its headcount, JAL will have to replace some of the older, less fuel-efficient planes in its fleet and reduce the number of routes it flies.
JAL will also receive a 600bn-yen credit line and get 730bn yen in debt waivers.
Shares in JAL have fallen to an all-time low, valuing the firm at just $150m - less than the price of a new jumbo jet.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange said shares in the carrier would be delisted on 20 February.
Along with other major global airlines, JAL has been hit hard by falling passenger numbers during the global economic downturn. The carrier has debts of $25.6bn.
"Basically this shows that nothing is too big to fail, that America's GM and Japan's JAL were in the same situation," said Koichi Ogawa from Daiwa SB Investments.
"What this has shown is that the nation won't just take total care of a company, that they've now said they'll let badly-run companies fail."
A third of JAL's workforce face the prospect of losing their jobs, the BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says.
While the turnaround plan backed by the government will see the airline continue to fly, investors in the company are likely to lose most of their money.
But JAL's competitors would only see a limited impact from its bankruptcy filing, Kazuyuki Terao, chief investment officer at RCM Japan, said.
"If consumers shift to other carriers, it might have a positive impact but it is also not likely because for consumers, utility is important - which will not change after bankruptcy."
Meanwhile, US carrier Delta Air Lines has issued a statement of support for JAL.
Delta wants JAL to leave the OneWorld Alliance and join its SkyTeam partnership. "Delta and SkyTeam fully support Japan Airlines and stand ready to provide
assistance and support in any way possible.
Delta fully expects that JAL, with the support of ETIC, will be successful in its restructuring and return the airline to a position of prominence."
British Airways and Spanish airline Iberia say they have reached a preliminary agreement for a merger expected to be completed in late 2010.
The merger, which must be approved by the European Commission, would create the world's third biggest airline.
Under its terms, Iberia would take a 45% stake and BA, which last week reported a six-month pre-tax loss of £292m, a 55% stake in the company.
Iberia says it can pull out if BA fails to resolve its pension deficit problem.
"The merger will create a strong European airline well able to compete in the 21st Century," said BA chief executive Willie Walsh.
"Both airlines will retain their brands and heritage while achieving significant synergies as a combined force."
The two airlines had been discussing the deal at separate board meetings.
It would create an airline with 419 aircraft flying to 205 separate destinations, and would save the two partners 400m euros ($594m; £358m) in costs a year, they said.
Iberia's chairman Antonio Vazquez would take the same role at the new company, while Mr Walsh would become its chief executive.
News of the deal did not go down well with Virgin Atlantic, one of BA's big competitors in the UK, which raised concerns about the new company's market share.
"The merger will increase BA's dominance at Heathrow with 44% of take-off and landing slots this winter. It is impossible for any other airline to replicate their scale," the airline said.
Both BA and Iberia have been losing money during the downturn as businesses and individuals cut back on flying.
Mr Walsh has previously said a merger would help both firms cope with the recession.
The firms have considered a tie-up for a number of years and held talks on the issue in July 2008.
BA already owns 13.5% of Iberia and the two carriers have a code-sharing agreement under the One World grouping of airlines, which allows them to sell seats on each other's services.
If a merger is formalised, it would still require regulatory approval from the European Commission.
However, analysts say a deal is likely to be cleared, pointing to Air France's successful merger with Dutch airline KLM in 2004.
The agreement comes a week after BA said it would cut a further 1,200 jobs, as it reported a first-half loss for the first time.
It made a pre-tax loss of £292m in the six months to the end of September.
The half-year results also revealed a growing problem with its two final-salary pension schemes.
In the past six months, the surplus in one scheme fell from £860m to £27m, while the deficit in the other scheme ballooned from £1.2bn to £2.7bn.
Iberia's most recent results showed that it made a loss of 72.8m euros between April and June.
Both airlines are also negotiating with staff over strike action.
BA cabin crew are being balloted on whether to take action over the company's cost-cutting plans, while Iberia staff have already gone on strike over pay, and plan more disruptions in the run-up to Christmas.
In earthquake-hit Haiti, the dead are being hastily buried in mass graves, amid fears their bodies spread disease. But is that true?
On the streets of Haiti, the living face a desperate struggle, for food, water, medicine and shelter. But the dead present a problem of their own.
Estimates of the number killed in last Tuesday's earthquake vary from 50,000 to at least 200,000.
Dead bodies are being left by roadsides, trapped under rubble, or cleared into pits. The underlying fear is that the bodies could spread disease and infection.
But is that assumption correct?
"There is this myth that bodies have to be disposed of incredibly quickly, which often leads to bodies being shoved into pits without any form of identification," Sir Nicholas Young, British Red Cross chief executive and a trustee of the main fundraising group, the Disasters Emergency Committee, told the BBC.
"[This makes it] impossible for the relatives to grieve. Impossible to know how many people died and impossible for people to identify their relatives. This is a terrible shame.
"The risk is absolutely minimal, unless there is disease in the population. This is a mistake and a waste of resources."
The charity has its own guidelines on cadaver management for disaster zones and signs up to 2009 advice from the Pan American branch of the World Health Organisations - Management of Dead Bodies After Disasters: A Field Manual for First Responders.
The guide was compiled after numerous disasters - the 2004 Asian Tsunami, Haiti's 2004 floods, Hurricanes Katrina and Stan and the Northern Pakistan and Indian earthquakes - highlighted an absence of advice on what to do and why.
It came after research by Oliver Morgan, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, that found dead bodies in natural disasters do not pose a public health threat.
Caustic chemicals
The guide sets out how ordinary people helping on the ground can manage the recovery, identification, storage and disposal of the dead. And how to help families come to terms with it. If necessary, temporary burial is recommended, but the caustic chemicals used to try to "disinfect" bodies are not - they have no effect and make identification harder.
Indeed, the guide says it is the "surviving population" that is "much more likely" to be a source of infection than the dead.
But care does need to be taken in handling dead bodies, says Dr Egbert Sondorp, senior lecturer in public health and humanitarian aid at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
"At the time of their death, people are likely to be healthy. You need to take care in handling them, precautions, as you don't know. But they are not in themselves a risk."
Those clearing dead bodies have to take basic safeguards like wearing gloves and hand-washing. These help protect against a range of diseases which can linger in the dead for two days - tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and C, diarrhoeal diseases. And HIV, which can last for six.
There are also risks in drinking water contaminated with faeces from the living and the dead.
So why are people buried so quickly, if the official guidance suggests they should not be?
One reason is the smell, says Dr Sondorp.
"A body which is decaying smells. In most communities you try to get that away, as psychologically it's awful to have them around. You want to stop dogs [and vermin] eating them, as that too is psychologically awful."
Also, there has been no-one on the ground in Haiti to say otherwise. Governmental and non-governmental organisation has been absent.
Tradition also plays a part - religions including Islam and Judaism like to see their dead buried within 24 hours.
The deep-seated fear of disease emanating from dead bodies could also stem from epidemics of the past, where people died in their droves from cholera.
But earthquakes, floods and fires involve deaths from drowning, injury and burns, not disease.
Despite the human instinct to get rid of the bodies quickly, a more considered approach can have long-term benefits for the mental health of the bereaved, says Ute Hofmeister, forensic adviser at the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"In all disasters, that's the human instinct, because the bodies start to smell really bad, look bad and it's not very dignified having them hanging around in the street.
"But experience shows for people, even in natural disasters, it's important to know what's happened to their dead. It helps them very much to know where they're buried."
There are also practical implications. Correct identification of the dead has legal significance for inheritance and insurance that can affect families for many years.
